Wire binder.



Patented Ap'r. s, |900.

G. D. FOSTER.

WIRE BINDER.

(Application led Mar. 17, 1899.)

2 Sheets- Sheet I,

(No Model) Eef-.1.

No. 646,8l9. Patented Apr. 3, |900. G. n. Fasten.

WIRE BINDER. (pplication med Mar. 17, 1899.. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet2.

HHH

- Inman/br being had to the UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

GEORGE D. FOSTER, or PRESTON, IOWA.

WIRE BINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,819, dated April 3,1900. Applicationled March 17, 1899. Serial No. 709,484. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. FOSTER, of Preston, in thecounty ofJackson and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Wire Binders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in Wire binders, and refers morespeciicallyto a mechanism particularly adapted for binding bales orbundles.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide an apparatus ofextremely simple, strong, and durable construction whichmay be manuallyoperated to form a simple and effective band or bale from a continuouslength of wire, an apparatus which may be readily applied to mostbundling and baling machines, and to provide improvementsl in thedetails of construction of an apparatus embodying my inventionespecially adapted for binding corn-shocks.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafterA described, and moreparticularlypointed out in the appended claims, and the same will bereadily understood, reference accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a plan view of an apparatusembodying my invention mounted upon theyoke of a corn-shock-compressing machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation,with parts in section, of the same apparatus. Fig. Slis a fragmentarydetail of parts shown inFig. 2 on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 shows theform of one of the bands or bales in its finished condition. Fig. 5 is adetail perspective view of the wire clamp whereby the free end ofl thewire is held during the knotting process. Fig. 6 is a side view of thecombined guide-pulley and tension device whereby the end of the wire isheld after a finished band has been severed therefrom. Fig. 7 is anenlarged side elevation of the rotary knotter and gear which drives thesame, including the crank and spring-latch, whereby the gear is operatedand controlled. Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 7,showing the knotted portion of a band in position in the mechanism bywhich it is formed. Fig. 9 is a detail side elevation of one of theguide-plates which supports the knotter. Fig. 10 is a detail sideelevation of the wire-severing device.

The invention is shown in the present instance as embodied in the formof a cornshock binder, to which purpose the details shown herein areparticularly adapted; but it is to be understood that the generalfeatures of the invention are applicable to various other analogouspurposes. 4

Referring to the drawings, A designates as a whole the V-shaped yoke orframe of a shock-compressing apparatus-such, for example,as that shownin Letters Patent granted to me,No. 562,177, dated June 16, 1896. Uponthe cross-bar ct of said yoke, against which the shock or bundle ofshocks is compressed, are mounted in parallel relation two uprightsupporting-plates B, (see detail Fig. 9,) having upon their proximatefaces annular grooves b. Between the said supportingplates is mounted apinion (hereinafter termed the knotter) C, having in its side facesannular ribs or flanges c,which engage the grooves b of thesupporting-plates and hold the knotter in position, while 'permitting itto rotate freely.

The knotter is provided at one side with a radially-arranged slot oropenin g c', which eX- tends from the periphery inwardly approximatelyto the center of the knotter. Within this slot and arranged so as todivide the same is a radially-extending lug or finger c?, the

permit the placing of the wires within the knotter in this manner and inorder not to interfere with the wires during the pressing together ofthe latter the side supportingplates B are made approximately L-shapedin side elevation, so as to leave the central portion of the knotter andapproximately one segmental quarter of it unobstructed.

IOO

In order to rotate the knotter to twist the lapped ends of the bandtogether, a shaft E is mounted in suitable bearings c upon the frame A,and upon this shaft is fixed a driving-gear E', arranged to intermeshwith the teeth of the knotter. Preferably the gear E will be of suchsize as to rotate the knottera given number of complete revolutionsduring a single revolution of the gear, (four times in the presentinstance,) so that the position of the knotter at the end of a completerevolution of the driving-gear will always be the same, for a purposewhich will hereinafter appear.

E2 designates a crank secured upon the end of the shaft E, and E3designates a springlatch mounted upon a suitable support a, so as toextend alongside of the path of the crank E2and provided with twoshoulders e' e2, which serve to arrest the movement of the crank in onedirection or the other. The free end of the spring-latch is providedwith a fingerhold c3, whereby the latch may be defiected o1` bentsufficiently to allow the crank to pass freely in either direction whendesired.

G designates a reel or spool of wire rotatably mounted upon the frame A,the shaft of the reel being provided with a crank-handle, whereby it maybe turned to draw the wire taut after adjustment around the bundle andbefore the knot is formed. From the reel the wire is led underneath aguide-pulley g and thence through a tension device H, which also servesas a guide-pulley, and is located upon the frame A in a positionapproximately in alinement with the axis of rotation of the knotter. Thetension device consists in the present instance of a grooved pulley 71mounted upon a suitable bearing 7L', and a frictionpulley h2, mountedupon a spring-pressed shaft hB and arranged to bear yieldingly againstthe pulley h, the wire being trained between the two, as shown clearlyin detail Fig. G.

From the tension device the wire passes through a cutter I, consistingin the present instance 'of an upright blade t', mounted in a suitablecasting I', with which coperates a pivoted pressure-bar I2, pivotallymounted at its lower end, as at '15', adjacent to the blade 1T, andprovided at its upper end with a handle t2, whereby it may be oscillatedto force the wire against the edge of the blade to sever the same. Thepressure-bar is desirably held in upright position, so as to serve inconnection with the blade to form a guide through which the wire passes,by means of a stop i3. After passing through the knotter the free end ofthe wire is secured in a clamping device J, which, as herein shown andas conveniently` made, consists of a pair of parallel curved fingers j,rigidly mounted upon the frame A, and a clamping-jaw j?, having itsacting face made convex to correspond to the curvature of the fingersand mounted upon a shaft ji, working through a bearingjt, so as to becapable of being projected between the fingers. The clamping-jaw isconveniently operated by means of a horizontal lever K, connected at oneend with the lower end of the shaft f and pivotally mounted at a pointand the end secured in the clamp J.

intermediate of its length, as at j", Fig. 8, upon the frame member a,the other end of the lever being arranged to project through a loop jupon the end of linkj7. The link is connected at its opposite end withan armjs, rigidly connected with the presser-bar I2 in such manner thatwhen the latter is oscillated forwardly to cut the wire the clamp willbe opened, and, vice versa, when oscillated in the opposite directionthe clamp will be closed.

The operation of the apparatus, constructed as described, is as follows:A shock or bundle of stalks having been brought within the yoke andsuitably compressed, the end of the wire is carried from the tensiondevice across over the knotter in rear of the bundle, around the latter,and across over the knotter aglailn e knotter being in the positionshown in Fig. 7, the overlapped ends are adjusted within the knotter atopposite sides of the lug c2 of the latter, the reel turned so as todraw the wire taut, and the crank E2 of the drivinggear turned a singlerevolution to the right or in the direction indicated by the arrow inFig. 7, permitting the shoulder e' of the spring-latch to arrest the.movement of the crank. This single revolution of the driving-gear willcomplete the twisting together of the wires in t-he form shown in Fig.8, and when the crank-handle F.2 is in position resting against theshoulder e the opening and lug c2 of the knotter will be directedhorizontally forward or toward the bundle, so that the latter may bedisengaged from the knotter without difficulty. Y The band is thuscompleted, and it only remains to sever the wire by means of the cutterI. As the presser-bar is oscillated to cut the wire the clamp will beopened to release the opposite end and the bundle thus freed ready to bedischarged. Before beginning to bind the next shock or bundle the crankof the driving-gear will be shifted back from the shoulder e to theshoulder e2 of the spring-latch, thus restoring the slot of the knotterto a vertical position to more conveniently receive the wire.

While I have herein described and illustrated what I deem to be apreferred embodiment of my invention, yet I do not wish to be understoodas limiting myself to the precise details of construction shown exceptas made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my inventionl. A mechanism for twistingwire togethercomprising a rotatable knotter provided at one side with a radialopening, means for deA tachably holding the wires separated within saidopening, means for rotatably supporting the knotter comprisingbearing-plates arranged at opposite sides of the latter, one of which isprovided with an annular bearing engaging the knotter,both of saidplates being cut away to expose the central portion and a segmentalportion of the knotter.

2. A mechanism for twisting wire together comprising a rotatable knotterprovided at IIO IZO

rigid curved lingers spaced apart, a jaw.

mounted and adapted to work between said lingers, and a leveroperatively connected with the jaw.

4. The combination with a mechanism for twisting parallel wires togethercomprising a rotatable knetter provided at one side with a radialopening, means for holding the Wire separated Within said openingcomprising a radially-extending lug extending from the inner end of theopening outwardly to the periphery of the knotter, a series ofgear-teeth formed in the peripheryr of the knotter and of which seriesthe end of the Wireseparating lng forms a part, and a gear orsegment'having connection with the periphery of the knot- 3o ter, of awire-reel mounted adjacent to the knotting mechanism and a tensiondevice through which the wire passes on its way from the reel to theknotter.

5. In a corn-shock-binding apparatus, the combination With a pair ofcompressing-arms arrangedin V-shaped relation, of a wire-twistingapparatus mounted upon said arms adjacent to the point of the V andcomprising a cross-support against which the corn-shock is adapted to becompressed, a knetter mounted upon said support consisting of arotatable wire-holder provided at one side with aradial opening, meansfor holding the wire sepa# rated within said opening and drivingconnections for rotating the knotter.

6. The combination with a bale-tying mechanism of a wire-clamp locatedat one side ot the knetter and a wire-cutting device at the oppositeside thereof, and operative connections between the cutting device andclamp whereby when the clamp is opened to release the wire when thecutter is operated to sever the same.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature hereto, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,this 14thday of March, 1899.

GEO. I). FOSTER.

Witnesses:

GEO.. PANP, C. J. STORM.

